Are pub opening times too restricted in Ireland?

Shanowen Shakedown · 30-03-2018 8:36pm #1

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LIQUOR LICENSING ACTS

MONDAY – THURSDAY: 10.30am – 11.30pm

FRIDAY & SATURDAY: 10.30am – 12.30am

SUNDAY: 12.30pm – 11.00pm

11:30 closing time on the weekday is absurd, I’m a 8-4.30 Monday to Friday worker, but not everyone else is.

Friday and Saturday, 12:30 AM closing is just sadly pathetic.

Sunday, after 12:30? Should we all be in Mass? Closing time 23:00? Pathetic. Do we all have to up for school tomorrow?

How about we just let adults be adults and decide for themselves. We DON’T have a problem with alcohol in this country. I’ve lived in Germany and traveled extensively in Europe, the Scandinavians, Finns and Central Europeans would drink us under the table. Alcohol consumption rates lie in the middle of the European charts.

In other European countries, premices are free to choose their own opening hours, you don’t have lights flashing at ridiculous o’clock and people ordering 5 pints, guzzling then pouring out on the streets fighting and crowing onto buses and taxis.

I fully expect to be lambasted here and called an alcoholic by people who won’t even engage with me, they’ll just say I/we have a drink problem and that’s why the restrictions are in place :rolleyes: And the won’t back up their claim with logic and reason.

hynesie08 · 30-03-2018 8:47pm

In New York, bars are open from 8am till 4am

In Dublin, bars are open From 7am to 3am officially, and lots of places serve till 4/4.30 anyway.

What's the problem??

Brock Turnpike · 30-03-2018 8:50pm

They are fine as they are.

hynesie08 wrote: »

What's the problem??

You read the OP's post, bro?

Shanowen Shakedown · 30-03-2018 8:50pm

They should be loosened a bit but not deregulated.

hynesie08 wrote: »

In Dublin, bars are open From 7am to 3am officially

Which bars would they be?

odyssey06 · 30-03-2018 8:55pm

They are fine as they are.

I think it should devolve to the local council, based on the zoning.

Dublin City Council should be able to set one set of hours for city centre v suburban pubs in residential areas.

If Kerry wants to have different hours to Dublin, or different hours in summer, they should be able to set that.

Sesame · 30-03-2018 9:02pm

Does anyone remember when they extended the weekend hours to 12.30? Might have been around the celtic tiger era.
It included Thursday nights too,which didn't last long. Apparently it was IBEC who kicked up a fuss, with a big increase in workers phoning in sick on a Friday.
Irish people seem to be missing some restraint when it comes to drink availability.

hynesie08 · 30-03-2018 9:02pm

Brock Turnpike wrote: »

You read the OP's post, bro?

Yes, and any bar in Ireland can apply for a late license, which puts our closing time in line with most European cities, so straight away the faux outrage is misguided.

I think we should have dedicated nightclubs though, which can open till 5am.

goose2005 · 30-03-2018 9:04pm

No, it's true. Opening hours have little effect on consumption, which has been dropping for a long time anyway. Our drinking levels are low for a northern European nation

drillyeye · 30-03-2018 9:06pm

They should be more restricted.

Not saying opening hours are good or bad, but anyone who believes that "the slippery slope" is a fallacy.....check this out.

It was logical that once good Friday was eliminated, the pressure would start to mount on other areas.

Every thing we do as humans is a slippery slope, and any fookin' gombeen that says its a falsehood is trying to sell you something/fool you with something. Then its on to the next step that they swore would never happen.

On topic!

Snotty · 30-03-2018 9:06pm

Sesame wrote: »

Irish people seem to be missing some restraint when it comes to drink availability.

And this is the problem, the average Irish neanderthal can't restraint themselves so they need someone else to control it for them.

Shanowen Shakedown · 30-03-2018 9:18pm

They should be loosened a bit but not deregulated.

hynesie08 wrote: »

Yes, and any bar in Ireland can apply for a late license

Why should they have to apply for a late license? So paying a few extra quid suddenly makes AM drinking more acceptable?

As long as a pub or any bar is licensed and above board there is no reason why they can’t operate 24/7 as the owner sees fit.

hynesie08 · 30-03-2018 9:22pm

Shanowen Shakedown wrote: »

Why should they have to apply for a late license? So paying a few extra quid suddenly makes AM drinking more acceptable?

As long as a pub or any bar is licensed and above board there is no reason why they can’t operate 24/7 as the owner sees fit.

Where else in the world does that happen though?
New Orleans? Vegas?

To the best of my knowledge there is nowhere in Europe with 24/7 drinking as standard.

end of the road · 30-03-2018 9:23pm

They should be loosened a bit but not deregulated.

deregulate the lot and let them open whenever they want. the people who are getting off their heads on drink will do so anyway so the restrictions don't seem to be making any difference from what i can see.

Snotty wrote: »

And this is the problem, the average Irish neanderthal can't restraint themselves so they need someone else to control it for them.

they actually don't. the state has decided to control it however.

Shanowen Shakedown · 30-03-2018 9:24pm

They should be loosened a bit but not deregulated.

hynesie08 wrote: »

Where else in the world does that happen though?
New Orleans? Vegas?

To the best of my knowledge there is nowhere in Europe with 24/7 drinking as standard.

I was out drinking until 5 AM in Wrockław. The places may not open 24/7 there, but I doubt there’s any rules preventing them from doing so.

Rubberchikken · 30-03-2018 9:25pm

We cant allow adults to decide certain things - when to leave pub for example. People are idiots. They'd never manage.
Closing times are there for a reason.

drillyeye · 30-03-2018 9:31pm

They should be more restricted.

What will people moan about after its deregulated?

Seems to be more about the moaning itself, like a past-time, rather than the subject of whats being moaned about. With fooking everything!

Talk about having nothing to do in your life. Like me

Shanowen Shakedown · 30-03-2018 9:33pm

They should be loosened a bit but not deregulated.

drillyeye wrote: »

What will people moan about after its deregulated?

Seems to be more about the moaning itself, like a past-time, rather than the subject of whats being moaned about. With fooking everything!

Talk about having nothing to do in your life. Like me

And we have a winner. I knew someone would attack the thread or the OP without giving a structured argument for or against the topic in question.

drillyeye · 30-03-2018 9:38pm

They should be more restricted.

Rubberchikken wrote: »

We cant allow adults to decide certain things - when to leave pub for example. People are idiots. They'd never manage.
Closing times are there for a reason.

That's the root of it really. A individual can be intelligent sometimes, but populations tend to behave like 13 year olds. They cant process the idea of having someone looking after them when they actually need it.

Teenagers rebelling against their parents.

drillyeye · 30-03-2018 9:39pm

They should be more restricted.

Shanowen Shakedown wrote: »

And we have a winner. I knew someone would attack the thread or the OP without giving a structured argument for or against the topic in question.

Theres no need for structure! Its as plain as the nose on your face.....

"But my freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want!"

Teenagers throwing strops about literally everything.

wally1990 · 30-03-2018 9:40pm

Shanowen Shakedown wrote: »

Which bars would they be?

We all don’t live in Dublin either

odyssey06 · 30-03-2018 9:51pm

They are fine as they are.

Rubberchikken wrote: »

We cant allow adults to decide certain things - when to leave pub for example. People are idiots. They'd never manage.
Closing times are there for a reason.

And yet they manage in Spain and Poland and New York... even Irish people living in those places seem to manage.
If you treat people like childish idiots who don't have to manage themselves, you get childish idiots who can't manage themselves.

drillyeye · 30-03-2018 11:09pm

They should be more restricted.

odyssey06 wrote: »

And yet they manage in Spain and Poland and New York... even Irish people living in those places seem to manage.
If you treat people like childish idiots who don't have to manage themselves, you get childish idiots who can't manage themselves.

And that's why you dont change fundamental laws of social protection.

Governments aren't there to guide you into growing up. They are there to protect the terminal, never-gonna-change, "teenagers" of society. There is no end point, government isn't a transitional body, its permanent.

Who gives a shyte what they do in New York? Should I point to Saudi Arabia and hope to prove the opposite? No, because that would be a waste of time.

Jesus, youd think people were only allowed drink alcohol for 10 minutes a day. In my whole life I reckon I can think of once, maybe twice I thought "I wish the pub wasn't closed/closing!"

That in itself goes to show that the very people seeking complete deregulation, ie gagging for the gargle, are likely the LAST people to trust with responsibility :P

I still reckon its just moaners moving onto the next thing to moan about though, people are never happy! It'll get deregulated, then next thing people will be moaning about regulating it again. These are the ignorant masses, with nothing to fill their empty lives, just never-ending procrastination on merry-go-round points. Do something more constructive with your life. Like me

Snotty · 31-03-2018 12:35am

odyssey06 wrote: »

And yet they manage in Spain and Poland and New York... even Irish people living in those places seem to manage.

Oh yes, the Irish abroad have such a good reputation of alcohol moderation....... said no one ever.

whisky_galore · 31-03-2018 7:30am

They should be more restricted.

I doubt it would make sense financially for venues to pay extra for staff, security and for entertainment for the relatively small number of people who are going to stay on drinking until sparrow-fart in the morning. Also there aren't the taxis and transport options to take pissed people home at odd hours, where I live at any rate.

Irish Guitarist · 31-03-2018 7:39am

The closing hours are fine. I don't find the idea of drunks wandering out of pubs at all hours and vandalising the town on the way home that appealing.

end of the road · 31-03-2018 2:42pm

They should be loosened a bit but not deregulated.

whisky_galore wrote: »

I doubt it would make sense financially for venues to pay extra for staff, security and for entertainment for the relatively small number of people who are going to stay on drinking until sparrow-fart in the morning. Also there aren't the taxis and transport options to take pissed people home at odd hours, where I live at any rate.

i'd tend to agree, all though they wouldn't have any obligation to stay open. they would simply be able to stay open if they wished and the garda resources currently being wasted on policing closing times could be put to better use.

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

The closing hours are fine. I don't find the idea of drunks wandering out of pubs at all hours and vandalising the town on the way home that appealing.

yet currently we have hundreds of people poring out on to the streets at the same time each night at closing time. that's even more of a problem tbh. the people who would be vandalising the town on the way home if the closing time was extended are probably already doing it dispite the closing times.

thee glitz · 31-03-2018 3:44pm

They are fine as they are.

Putting back last orders on a Thursday night to 11:30 was a joke. Thankfully, many places I might be have late licences / happily push it out to a few pints after that.

I think turning a blind eye once you're not taking the piss is a fine Irish solution.

There's a few early houses in Dublin and licences for a some more and elsewhere would be welcome.

FizzleSticks · 31-03-2018 4:48pm

They should be loosened a bit but not deregulated.

This post has been deleted.

31-03-2018 4:52pm

They should be loosened a bit but not deregulated.

hynesie08 wrote: »

Where else in the world does that happen though?
New Orleans? Vegas?

To the best of my knowledge there is nowhere in Europe with 24/7 drinking as standard.

24/7 drinking is allowed in the U.K. and while in practice not many/any pubs do it you will have pubs opened very late and again in the morning so if you move around you can get close to 24 hour drinking. Also you can buy drink in 24h shops at anytime.

We have some early houses left in the county, in Dublin and Cork mainly and considering they are open from 7am until normal pub closing times they are never highlighted as being an issue. I've drank in them a few times too early in the morning and any messing will have you out the door. They are great craic and always have a great atmosphere.

hynesie08 · 31-03-2018 5:19pm

Addilynn Careful Pitcher wrote: »

24/7 drinking is allowed in the U.K. and while in practice not many/any pubs do it you will have pubs opened very late and again in the morning so if you move around you can get close to 24 hour drinking. Also you can buy drink in 24h shops at anytime.

We have some early houses left in the county, in Dublin and Cork mainly and considering they are open from 7am until normal pub closing times they are never highlighted as being an issue. I've drank in them a few times too early in the morning and any messing will have you out the door. They are great craic and always have a great atmosphere.

Exactly, 24h drinking is an option that most have decided isn't worth the hassle/money, if publicans in Ireland thought it was worth their while, they'd be campaigning for it.

And sure if I start in Slattery's and finish in workman's I can drink from 7am to 4am in Dublin. But yeah I should be able to buy a beer in a spar 24/7

Fanny Wank · 31-03-2018 5:21pm

They are fine as they are.

When did pubs become "bars"?

LeinsterDub · 31-03-2018 5:22pm

They should be loosened a bit but not deregulated.

Pubs should be able to open and close when ever they want.

scamalert · 31-03-2018 5:26pm

They should be more restricted.

think its larger problem that most people seem like alcos in this case that things like pub times are worth a topic, if one has issue that they cant sit on wed or some mid week day overnight drinking its deeper problem then pubs being open, that one should seek actual help with.

LeinsterDub · 31-03-2018 5:41pm

They should be loosened a bit but not deregulated.

scamalert wrote: »

think its larger problem that most people seem like alcos in this case that things like pub times are worth a topic, if one has issue that they cant sit on wed or some mid week day overnight drinking its deeper problem then pubs being open, that one should seek actual help with.

Some peoples weekend is a Tuesday or a Wednesday. Why shouldn't they be able have a late drink?

hynesie08 · 31-03-2018 5:42pm

LeinsterDub wrote: »

Some peoples weekend is a Tuesday or a Wednesday. Why shouldn't they be able have a late drink?

I have Sundays and Mondays off, it's a pain in the hole.

02-04-2018 12:00pm

hynesie08 wrote: »

Where else in the world does that happen though?
New Orleans? Vegas?

To the best of my knowledge there is nowhere in Europe with 24/7 drinking as standard.

Czech Republic.

patrickbrophy18 · 04-04-2018 12:30am

To answer the OP, I do think they are too restricted!

While drunk and disorderly conduct is a very big problem in Ireland and across the pond, I don't think the pubs in Ireland nor the off-licenses should have to be punished for it.

In this country, our politicians punish the many because of the irresponsible minority who just can't handle their liqueur.

aidan24326 · 04-04-2018 1:39am

hynesie08 wrote: »

In Dublin, bars are open From 7am to 3am officially, and lots of places serve till 4/4.30 anyway.

What's the problem??

Dublin has a tiny number of early houses, and the vast majority of pubs are not open until 4:30 am, nor 3am either. Some of them open late at the weekend yes. I think the point is that we should take a more European approach and allow pubs/clubs to open earlier and stay open later if they wish. And guess what? Most wouldn't anyway as they wouldn't want to, wouldn't want the hassle, paying staff for longer hours etc. But give them the option and let the market sort itself out.

NikoTopps · 04-04-2018 4:30pm

They should be loosened a bit but not deregulated.

In Athens,Greece you can buy alcohol until 5am and onwards . You can buy 35%\40% τσίπουρο/ούζο from tiny huts on street for maybe 3€ . It not a drink problem there.But in Éire?.... Nanny state

jiltloop · 04-04-2018 4:48pm

They should be loosened a bit but not deregulated.

drillyeye wrote: »

I still reckon its just moaners moving onto the next thing to moan about though, people are never happy! It'll get deregulated, then next thing people will be moaning about regulating it again. These are the ignorant masses, with nothing to fill their empty lives, just never-ending procrastination on merry-go-round points. Do something more constructive with your life. Like me

You can keep repeating this nonsense and it will remain exactly that, nonsense. It really is one of the most stupid arguments I've ever encountered.

You can just insert that moronic paragraph in to any thread you don't agree with.

super_furry · 04-04-2018 4:55pm

They should be loosened a bit but not deregulated.

Bring back the Holy Hour on a Sunday.

Losty Dublin · 06-04-2018 11:54pm

Addilynn Careful Pitcher wrote: »

24/7 drinking is allowed in the U.K. and while in practice not many/any pubs do it you will have pubs opened very late and again in the morning so if you move around you can get close to 24 hour drinking. Also you can buy drink in 24h shops at anytime..

24/7 drinking in the UK is not an absolute given. Pubs hours depends on what is specified in it's own licence. These in turn are set and granted by the local council, who issue pub licences in the UK. There are a few all night bars but they are few and far between.

buried · 07-04-2018 12:26am

The Pubs opening and closing times is not the problem. Whats going on in the pubs is the problem. There is a huge opportunity for pubs to provide a modern escapism outlet where people can go to listen to good music infused with some good visuals to go with the music. You don't have to book a band, all you have to do is stick on a nice selection of music from spotify or whatever the f**k and create some visuals to go with the selection and project that $hit on a wall or a sheet or whatever the f**k. This is easily done. And it is that simple. This is how youtube makes its money for f**ks sake. Projectors now are cheaper than HI DEF Tv's. Visual software for computers the same. This creates a different environment for escapism. It will get punters out of the house and into whatever venue can provide such a service. Absolute magic can be created in such a environment. Young people would love it. Young people are still here lads. This is what they know. The problem is, the vast majority of pubs are still being run by auld codgers hoping the ROI soccer team makes the World/Euro cup and base the open house windfall on that scenario happening, or Nathan Carter music played down the back and everybody grimmed the f**k out of it putting up with it and not really enjoying it. Pubs have got to up their game and there is no excuse not to up the f**king game. I went down my local tonight and it was like walking into a sheebeen from 1981, only difference was the sheebeen back in 1981 could get away with it. Not anymore. Up your f**king game publicans. You want to be entertainers and make cash from that? Then find out where the good entertainment is nowadays and sell it to the customers. It's there, it's just the publicans could not be bothered finding out where it is or pushing anything new or are too scared to do so. That is why they are DYING. People still want to go out, people need to go out, but if the place they are going to go out on a night out is literally a grim showcase from 1979, it's not going to happen. This is why I've come home and stuck on some tunes and visuals because back down there in town.....I'd rather f**k meself in the river.

Cantona's Collars · 07-04-2018 12:35am

super_furry wrote: »

Bring back the Holy Hour on a Sunday.

That was the best time for a few pints on a Sunday,only in Ireland can a holy hour be 2 hours long.

Are pub opening times too restricted in Ireland?

Are pub opening hours in Ireland too restricted? 144 votes

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